Software programs used for access and management of information, such as web browser programs, word processing programs, file management programs, spreadsheet programs, database programs, etc., typically provide an interface medium for a user, such as a page, document, spreadsheet, record, etc. This interface medium facilitates the user to access and manage information. For example, a user may access a web page using a web browser to access and/or manage information that is presented or represented on the page.
In such a web environment, the web page may be a web part page that includes web parts. A web part page is a special type of web page that consolidates data such as lists and charts, and web content such as text and images, into a dynamic information portal built around a common task or special interest. Each web part page contains one or more web part zones, which in turn contain one or more web parts. Web parts are the basic building blocks of a web part page. A web part may be described as a modular unit of information that has a single purpose. Each instance of a specific web part may be similar or different in appearance and behavior, but it usually based on the same web part assembly file installed on the site server. There can also be code for more than one web part in a web part assembly file.
In a web environment that includes web part pages and web parts, a user may wish to view or modify properties of web parts or web part pages using a thin client (e.g., web browser) or rich client user interface. However, modification of such web parts and the web part page required a level of understanding of the markup and markup language (e.g., html, XML, etc.) used to generate the web parts page.
In view of the foregoing, a need exists for a utility that allows viewing and modification of the web parts page and web parts without requiring extensive technical knowledge on the part of the user.